Seven
by The Fluff Queen
Summary: Seven unaired moments between Puck and Rachel, from "Mash-Up" to "Journey", celebrating the premiere of "Audition".


**Summary: **Seven unaired moments between Puck and Rachel, from "Mash-Up" to "Journey", celebrating the premiere of "Audition".

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, my sweeties. I wouldn't be offering prompts at the Puckleberry Drabble Meme if it were.

**Author's Note: **To Ash, because she's an amazing writer, and EJ, who is one of my closest friends here and is in definite need of some lovin'. Hope you guys like this!

**Seven**

_**Wheels**_

**P**uck looks dejectedly on as Finn wheels Quinn away. The blonde leans her forehead against his best friend's temple, and Puck can almost feel a renewed crack tearing his heart open. She's having his baby, and still there she goes, walks away to his best friend. Finn doesn't even want to be a father – yet, he'll be one.

Sighing and running a hand through his Mohawk, Puck turns his back to the happy, golden couple – and comes face to face with a disappointed Rachel. As his hazel eyes meet her brown ones, a small, almost imperceptible smile, a sad one, curves his lips. This girl, this loud, overdriven, crazy girl is the only one who might understand what he's going through. Not fully, but a little bit. She nods at him, lips curling at the corners, as she closes her locker. He falls into step next to her, and his eyes tell her what he can't make his lips say.

_We're friends._

A big smile makes her entire face glow, and Puck thinks, not for the first time, that maybe he made a mistake by not fighting for her. He puts a hand on the small of her back and she begins talking excitedly about how amazing it'll be to perform 'Proud Mary' in Sectionals.

_**Sectionals**_

**H**e's at his house nursing a lost friendship and a broken heart (Quinn still doesn't want his help with caring for the baby) when the bell rings. He frowns because his mother is out working double shift, and Nina will be spending the night over a friend's house – and, even if it were one of them, they both have their key sets, so they wouldn't be ringing the bell. He is forced out of his musings by the bell ringing for a second time, and now there's a dainty, fluid knock on the door.

Exhaling, he gets up and opens the door. She's standing there, looking at him with an apology on her eyes. His eyes lock with hers, and hers fill with tears. "I'm sorry", she whispers, brokenly, and he can't find in himself the strength to be angry with her. Not when she did what Quinn was too selfish and he too afraid to do. Finn may be heartbroken and angry now, but at least he's not frozen with fear at the idea of being a father. Puck, who longed for the role, can take over.

He wraps his arms low around her waist and pulls her closer to his body. Gasping little sobs escape through her lips as she curls her fists and clutches the fabric and pulls him even closer. He feels tears wetting his shirt and rests his cheek against her hair, making shushing comforting noises. "It's okay… It's okay…" He mumbles quietly, feeling her shiver and tremble against his body.

All of a sudden they're holding each other up, tears cascading down his face. Now it's him asking for forgiveness, for not having told her he was the father when they were together. She can feel the top of her head growing wetter and wetter, and she begins humming softly, her breasts vibrating slightly against his shirtless chest. He smiles slightly between his tears, recognizing 'Lean On Me'. He leans down and whispers against her ear, "I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on".

She steps away from him and her smile is so brilliant despite the tear tracks on her cheeks, that for the first time in many weeks he has to fight the urge to kiss her.

_**The Power of Madonna**_

**T**hey've just finished their performance of 'Like a Prayer', and Rachel is giddy with her post-performance high that she jumps in his arms the moment Jesse St. Jerk drops her on the floor. She's laughing, her long, soft legs around his waist, arms around his neck and her lips firmly pressed on his cheek. "Oh, my God, Noah!" She says breathily, and he has a hard time trying not to picture her saying those words in a wildly different situation. "We were so amazing! That definitely shall be one of our numbers for Regionals!"

His hands are resting on her ass and she is babbling incessantly to fight the urge to moan quietly. She can almost feel the heat of his hands against her skin – despite the thick layer of her jeans, he scorches her, and heat pools low on her belly. He's smelling so good, a mix of a citrusy scent and fabric softener that is so uniquely his, she knows she'll always relate it to him.

She leans back a little bit and their eyes lock. All of a sudden, her lips are desert-dry, and she nervously licks them, worrying the lower one as his eyes flick back and forth from her eyes to her lips. The air around them cracks with electricity, the loud noises of their teammates dulling to a low buzz. She knows, she just knows, he'll kiss her, and it's surprising how much she wants it despite having a new boyfriend who just traded schools to be with her.

Jesse breaks the moment. She hears him calling for her and is very reluctant to let go of Noah. A quick glance at his face shows stormy hazel eyes, and she shivers at the glare he sends Jesse. Standing on the tips of her toes, she presses a kiss to his cheek (if it lands dangerously close to his lips, it's pure accident – not) and whispers, "You were amazing", before flitting to Jesse's side.

_**Bad Reputation**_

**H**e's standing outside the choir room when she leaves after singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'. Her face shines with the tears she cried, and she looks away from him when she notices him leaning against the nearest wall. She freezes for a moment before straightening up her spine and passing by him, nodding stiffly to him, his name breathily leaving her lips.

His fingers wrap around her wrist and he gently makes her stop. It strikes him suddenly how often they find each other for comfort. He hugs her close to his body, and she presses desperately against him, shivering violently as her body is racked with sobs. He tries to shush her, pressing quick, soft kisses to her hair, rubbing his hands against her back. After a long while, she quiets, fingers curled against the fabric of his T-shirt. "I'm sorry", she whispers, and he lifts her chin so their eyes meet and lock. He presses a slow, comforting kiss against her lips, mumbling "Nothing to be sorry for" before pulling apart and pulling her towards the parking lot. She smiles gratefully at him, and they bask in the cozy silence.

_**Laryngitis**_

**H**e knows the women in his life are _not _happy with his fling with Mercedes. Santana makes it clear by crossing Mercedes through that hot duet in the choir room (he always loved seeing Señorita Loca putting her foot down). Quinn just stops talking to him altogether.

And Rachel?

Rachel returns to treating him like he's the bane of her existence, a slushie-throwing, egg-shooter bully whose biggest goal is to make her high school life a living hell.

He fumes for a moment, because it's so fucking unfair, before coming up with a genius idea. He learns she's helping Sean Fretthold, and remembers he's a big fan of old-school rock, so he suggests she coaches Sean on singing 'One'. When Finn brightly suggests they try performing it, Puck secretly goes behind his friend's back to suggest to Mr. Schue that he's partnered up with Rachel for the choreography. And, once he has his arm wrapped around her tight little body and her back pressed against his chest, he leans down and whispers, "I'm sorry" against her ear. She closes her eyes, sings soulfully, but he's the only one who notices (and feels) the small shiver that rocks her body.

And just like that, they're fine again.

_**Funk**_

**H**e's the one who finds her, covered in whites and yolks, eyes wide with shock and tears trailing down her cheeks. She's so numb she doesn't even hear him talking to her, asking her who has done this to her. His fury gets mixed with concern and (fuck his shirt to hell) he wraps an arm around her shoulders, gently leading her to his truck. Just as gently he lifts her into the cab, and drives her to her house to change.

They're halfway there when she breaks down. It's not the loud, lamented sobs he's used to hearing from her. No, they're quiet, heartbroken, defeated, and they destroy what little he has remaining of his heart. He doesn't even stop: he parks as soon as he can, slides up to her side, catches her in his arms and legit cuddles. He presses tender, sweet kisses in every inch of skin he manages to find, whispering sweet nothings in her ears, and she clutches at his ruined shirt (by now, it's normal between them – he hugs her and kisses her while she pulls him the closer she can). He tightens his hold on her, and says it's going to be okay. After she's somewhat calmer, he starts the car again, but drives with only one hand. The other one stays tightly holding hers.

Later that same week, she's laughing with him after their amazing 'Give Up The Funk' number. Her arm is wrapped around his narrow waist, his loosely draped over her small shoulders, and she's babbling excitedly about his "See you funks in Regionals!" line. He notices both Finn and Jesse watching them, their eyes narrowed with suspicion and jealousy, and he can't help but flash them a small smirk as he squeezes her shoulder gently and drops a kiss in the gentle crook of her neck.

_**Journey**_

**S**he finds him after everything is calmed. Quinn is settled for the night, Mrs. Fabray firmly by her side (most likely making up for months, years probably, of absence). They're all out of tears for their lost glee club, for their loss at Regionals, for everything they had and, come next school term, they won't. He's decided to spend the night in front of the nursery's wide glass window, determined to make most of the time he has with his daughter.

He feels more than he sees Rachel by his side, looking beautiful on a loose white cotton summer dress with pink flowery print and white flip flops. Her hair falls on her back in loose, shiny curls, and she softly blows her newly cut bangs from her eyes, settling by his side in front of the nursery. "Which one is she?" She asks softly, a palm pressed against the glass, her other hand curled inside her much larger, warmer one. He silently points her Beth, and smiles slightly at her soft gasp. "She's so beautiful, Noah…" She breathes, squeezing his hand.

He nods, because what else can he say? Nothing really.

They stay quiet, watching Beth, and then she breaks it. "Finn told me he loves me", she whispers, and her heart clenches as she feels him stiffening next to her. She feels him letting go of her hand, but she holds tight. She's come to an epiphany when Finn declared his feelings to her. And, in her mind, the first one she must tell about it is Noah.

"Finn told me he loves me", she plows on, "and as I sang 'Faithfully' to him, I realized it wasn't him I was seeing I my mind as I sang it. It wasn't Finn. It wasn't Jesse either". She rubs her thumb gently against his finger, her eyes glued to the sleeping baby girl.

He feels something's changed, but he can't exactly say what it is. Her hand is warm inside his, and she smells of cheap Victoria's Secret sweet perfume and expensive body wash. As she shifts next by his side, he can breathe in the mix of those two essences, which are supposed to clash, but that in her skin somehow work. He lets go of her hand and wraps an arm around her shoulders, tucking her body neatly against his, pressing a kiss to her temple. "And who it was, babe?" He asks quietly. Her hand comes to rest on his hipbone and she squeezes it softly.

"It was you", she says simply, and, even though they just lost Glee club, even though these are the first and last hours he has with his daughter, somehow he has something to look forward to: an entire summer with this girl, who somehow, in the course of six months became _his _girl.

He presses a quick kiss to her lips, and feels her smile against his. For the first time, a girl consciously picks him over Finn. And it feels damn good.


End file.
